when things are going well, there is so little to talk about?
My hair is happy. I mean, really happy. I think I've finally figured out the secret to making my hair as happy as it can be - keep it moisturized, keep it stretched, and otherwise, leave it the heck alone. So, I haven't been doing any experimenting, I haven't been using any growth aids - I've just been ignoring it, really.
I really need to take a comparison pic - it's grown, quite a bit, though I'm starting to feel a bit more somekindaway about measuring using the piece in the back - but at the same time, I can't really get a good measurement grabbing anywhere else. Danggone layers!
I've been wanting to talk hair, though, but my hair doesn't provide much fodder for discussion, right now. So, I'm pondering what I could do/write on/review/etc, etc, to give me a hair chatty outlet.
I hopped over to NP last night for the first time in months, and I'm thrilled to see that they've upgraded to a proper forum program - that might get me over there a little more often. Maybe. *lol* I'd need something hair related to talk about, though, as they are very hair focused, there.
Why is it that....
Damn, Really?
I haven't posted since JANUARY? Okay, I realized it had been a while (even with the nudges - thank y'all *l*), but THAT long? Damn.
Um.
Well, a host of things combined that got me distracted.
One, I lost my camera. Well, technically, I didn't lose it - hah!
I blame it all on the LHCF Meetup - which, by the way, was a crapload of fun. I really wished I had been able to spend more time with the lovely ladies!
When we met at the Civil Rights Museum, I had to check my camera. When I left the museum, I forgot my camera. I was in a rush - it was my fifth wedding anniversary.... I was trying to get home. ;)
When I went back to get my camera, it was mysteriously missing. I just got a check to replace it Saturday. Yes, that would be July 11th. Almost 4 months later. We had to threaten to call the local news for that to happen. *rollseyesfuriously*
So, I knew there were no pictures going to be had.
Then, I also started a pretty intense exercise program. So, a lot of my attention and time went to that.
Then, there is also the fact that - I've gotten downright lazy (and really consistent) with my hair.
Right now, I'm wearing twists for two weeks straight - I've FINALLY figured out the 'secret' of NoniesTwists (tm) - they are like little ropes. I wear them down for a week, then wear them up for a week. I'm only DC'ing every other weekend - I'll cowash my hair in the twists the other weekend.
I'm DC'ing with Elasta QP (love long time), usually mixed with some hibiscus flower powder (wonderfully moisturizing and slightly acidic), some SAA, some honeyquat, and sometimes a touch of salt.
That's kind of my personal conditioning 'magic' mixture. I really need to restock on my Premier Conditioner - I loved adding a dollop of that.
If I want a lightly protieny mixture (once every 3 or 4 DC's), I'll add a nice dollop of MT to the magic mixture - minus the salt. Some of the salt stuff suggested that it breaks down protein - so no need to use it there.
I think I've henna'd maybe twice in the last couple of months. Hrm. Could be time to do that again. I add the henna to the magic mixture - minus the hibiscus. The combo of the two is a little too acidic for my hair.
If I want something extra conditioning, I whip up a bit of the Caramel Treatment, and mix that with the magic mixture - utterly delicious. Another benefit of mixing it with the magic mixture is that it thickens up beautifully - so, no more drip!!
If I'm feeling really dry, I'll do the Caramel Treatment mix while doing a 2hr steam treatment - beyond amazing. Just - rich juicy happy hair. It's been too damn hot to do that lately, though - I'm soooooo not doing that.
If I want to deep clean my hair, I add my ayurvedic 'tea' mix - 2 parts amla, 1 part shikaika, 1 part fo-ti (it's premixed in a glass mason jar with a spoon for maximum ease) to the magic mixture. I acutally like the hibiscus in here, even though it's acidic - it seems to be more moisturizing then acidic in this mix.
I'm still doing a final rinse with cold water, and still use my acidic rinse as the last liquid that touches my hair - right now, I'm very fond of a coffee/citric acid mixture. I tend to be hit and miss when it comes to remembering to make the coffee before I start detangling, so I often end up with just a dilute citric acid mix.
The only leave-in's that I'm using - well, I'm using two. Right after I DC, I let my hair dry about halfway in 6 fat twists. Then, I take them down, comb them out a bit, apply a liberal amount of castor oil mixed with - Ack, the oil from Eqyss, but I can't remember the name - Survivor? Yeah - Survivor Oil. I love the stuff - a little goes a looong way. I then braid my hair, and let it dry.
Once it's dry, I take the braids down to twist with my second leave-in. It's a rich mix of butters, oils, SAA, honeyquat, and the Elasta QP. There's a recipe for it around here, somewhere - it's sooo nice. I add lemongrass oil to it, and it's the best smelling thing ever. It's moist and light, yet has enough oil in it to protect my hair - but creamy enough to not be greasy.
Other than in the protein treatments, I'm not using the MT. I don't have nearly as much free time in the evening, and since I'm only DC'ing once every two weeks, my hair cannot handle the additional protein. :( I miss it. I really liked how my hair was growing with it - but I can't do all the needed moisture support. I might start up again when it gets cool and I can start up with the steam treatment again.
One good thing - the summer months are my fast growing season, so I feel like while I'm not moving as fast as I could - it's a a good clip. And, my hair is long enough to do a lot of things I wanted to do with - which placates me, a lot. The fact that it's now long enough for me to feel okay wearing them down is a huge thing. I like it.
So, that brings us to length. It's longer. Obviously. *lol* But honestly? Without a camera to show it (to myself, too) I'm not sure how much longer. It's - odd. I think it's APL in parts. I've got horrible, deep layers because all of my strands are the same length - from my crown to my nape. It's the one downside to not trimming that I've found. Ah! Trimming. I'll touch on that a bit later.
But, the hair at my nape, is about APL. I think. The hair at my crown, is at about the bottom of my ear. It's - very big. *lol*
I haven't trimmed my hair since I cut out the last of the color, back in April of 2007. I've got plenty of single strand knots, I'll admit, and my hair has no real sort of 'shape' loose - but, I don't wear wash and go's, and it's a pretty cute bob in twists. *l* So, it's working for me. I do have some splits, but they are much, much better than they were at my last update. Low manipulation just really, really, works for me.
Interestingly enough, it's still taking me about the same time to detangle it - it takes me, about a solid hour and a half to fully detangle my hair - I think. That's of active working time.
I love taking my twists down. It feels really good. *lol* Written, that sounds so weird, but - it does. I look forward to it. So, I usually do that on Friday night. It's also great party hair. ;) If I'm partying Saturday ight, I have to take my twists down Saturday. I've figured out the twistout, but I've yet to have one survive the night. *lol*
My DC process starts with me mixing up the DC concoction of the week, and just slathering it into my hair. I then work it through, and fingercomb really, really well. I pull it back into a ponytailbun (woefully small, still) slap a shower cap and a cute scarf on top, and move on. Usually wear this over night, but for a minimun of 3 hours. I've developed a fondness for hats and scarves to allow me to not be tied to the house while DC'ing.
When it's time to detangle, I part my hair into roughly the sections of the style I plan on having, and usually start with 4-6 twists of DC soaked hair. I detangle each section - first with the MP Rake, then with the MP Medium Tooth Comb, and finally with the D3 Denman. The Holy Detangling Trifecta. at least for me. :lol: That takes me about 45 minutes - I usually do this in front of the bathroom sink.
Then, I climb in the shower with the Denman, and give each section a brush as I'm rinsing it out. That usually takes another 20 minutes, or so.
I put each section back in twists, and I'm done detangling and washing my hair.
So. That's what's been up with me & my hair.
*reads back up*
Holy cow, that's a lot. It's so odd, though - because this feels like the bare minimum to me. I - I can't imagine my hair being any easier by any process that's feasible to me. I still haven't used any heat - it would - complicate the process. *lol* And I'm not interested in trying to make it straighter, either. If there was a way I would want to change my hair, it would be to keep the amount of curl, just make each one a wee bit bigger. And that's just - not possible. So, I give it what it needs. *lol* My hair and I have a very consensual relationship.
I think that's the main reason I've been so quiet - most of what I was writing through was figuring out what really worked for my hair. And for a while, I had a lot of things that worked - but then, I started stripping it down to just what my hair really needs. No more, no less. And so, it seems kinda - dull to me.
How's it sound to you?
And thanks for sticking around. It's been a long time.
Progress, marches on.
This is why I love taking pictures - it's the only way for me to keep a 'trustworthy' record. Even after DH took the picture, and I saw where my hair was, it wasn't until I looked at the previous picture did I even realize - holy crap, it actually grew!
Mind, my 'normative' growth rate is about 1/4 inch a month - I gathered that from how my bleached/dyed hair grew out at the roots (so skipping the retention question you can have when measuring from the ends) as well as how my locs grew out (again, from the roots) between tightenings. Since I latched my locs when I had them, there was no chance of slippage. So, I can say with some certainty that without any 'nudges', my hair grows 1/4 inch a month.
And yet, between Oct and Jan, I got an easy inch and a half. That's - I know, I know, that's the 'average' hair growth rate - but it's not average for me. And definitely not in the winter. And double definitely not considering the split ends I'm now starting to see dealing me out some breakage. :( I think I was doing too much combing. Just because my hair can be combed, doesn't mean it should be, ya know? And - I've been REALLY lazy with the MT - I'd say that over the 12 week period, I used it maybe 7 weeks, total? Maybe?
So, I'm happy - thrilled - excited over the growth I've gotten. I also checked with a towel, and APL is around 8/8.5 - If things keep growing as they are now, I should definitely be there by the end of this year.
I'm thinking I might do MT every other week. *sigh* I don't know! I'm really enjoy the updos that I'm doing on my loose hair, even though I've broken one of the end tines off of one of my new combs already - *rollseyes* - I actually think I might be able to pull off an updo with no combs at all - which is my preferred state. I figure that even combs will do some damage as they tug and rub and pull against my hair - but hair against hair is the most 'gentle' holder there is, I think.
If I do go back to the twists, though, I'm going to have to drop the rattail comb from the rotation, I think. I'm seeing a lot of splits - multiples, even - on the last 1/2 - 3/4 inch of several sheds, as well as seeing breakage about the same length, and gah! That's the only thing that I've been doing recently that's been putting extra stress on my ends. *sigh*
Interestingly enough, my hair seems to stay less tangled when I wear it secured, but loose, than it does when I wear it in two strand twists. It makes an odd kind of sense, when you think that each twist is a separate 'field of potential tangles' whereas with the loose secured styles, really only the very tips of the sections actually being twisted are tanglefields.
And then, of course, using MT during the week also demands that I DC midweek, and while I could DC on loose hair midweek (assuming I found a non-stressful way to access my scalp with loose hair), that would increase my detangling sessions to twice a week instead of once a week, and that's just too too much for my hair. Hurmph.
I'll figure something out.........
I'm actually going to put a little MT into my steam treatment today - give my ends a wee bit more of a fighting chance - at least the ones that haven't split yet. I'm planning on doing a lunar trim on Feb 26, so it's just a matter of getting to then, and I'll most likely take a good 1/2 - 3/4 inch off all around. That would make it almost exactly two years since my last trim - which was really a BC - and I'm perfectly content with that.
Hrm. I think that's it. Yes, I think I'll do twists tomorrow. Hrmph.
Sooo....
Apparently I've made a decision, as I did a two hour wild goose chase for hair combs tonight despite being in the midst of tear inducing cramps. In the process, I found some knockoff GHD's by Scunci in a nice dark tortoise shell color, plus two bottle of J/A/S/O/N Tea Tree Conditioner on the clearance rack for 2.09 each. I've never tried them before (because they were way too expensive), but I've heard good things about them, so I figured I'd give them a try.
I finally found hair combs at K-mart, where they seemed a little steep - 4.19 for two combs - though they do have a 'wiggly' tine in the middle of the wider 'straight' tines - I'm thinking that not only will that reduce breakage as I put the comb in, it'll also help the style be more stable. I got some smaller combs too, possibly for accents or support or something. The ones I currently have (all of which have at least one tine missing) are going to be put into permanent duty as DC'ing combs.
Speaking of DC'ing, when I did my hair yesterday, it actually seemed easier to comb. There were some pretty 'big' knots on the end in a couple of sections that I had to puzzle through by hand, but otherwise, it went pretty well - and it seemed to go faster, too. Most interesting.
I actually applied castor oil to my braids this go around, and I think I might use a little of my leave-in on my hair before I do it - which means I'm going to have to get up icky early tomorrow morning, but at least I have the hang of the style now, so it should be a bit easier/faster.
Boring....
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
I'm not in a hair mood, as of late. The skimpiness of posts should have been a warning sign to me, but meh. I've been totally ignoring my hair during the week - no midweek DC's, no MT, nada. I haven't even two strand twisted my hair in the last - two weeks, I think? - and have been wearing it in my one comb updo, instead. I even left it product free this week, and checking it out now, it's not doing too bad. The ends are mildy tangled, but all things considered, it's not bad at all. The only part that is realllly tangled is my nape - I'm not even going to try to deal with it dry.
It does feel dry - but not like straw, or anything. It's not super tangled, as I can gently pull it apart and part it pretty easily - so, really not bad at all. I wouldn't want to do it too frequently, as I'm certain I'm 'banking' on some reserve moisture I've built up, but it's good to know that I can do it without horrid results, every now and then.
I'm going to caramel & steam it today, and I'm debating what to do with it afterwards. Doing my hair this way instead of in twists saves me about 3 to 4 hours a weekend - and, it's kinda my 'endgame', almost. To have hair long enough to put up for a week in a few twists, and more or less ignore. I don't think I expected it to happen this quickly, and I'm not sure if I'm really 'there', or if I'm just in a mood with my hair. Meh. I don't know.
Maybe I'm just at a resting point, for a while. I don't see myself content enough with my length (though it is longer than I've ever dealt with it loose before - I had locked about 3 inches ago) or my growth rate to totally stop using MT - I'll just have to be creative and figure out how to use it without having to pre-part. Maybe using it once a week, right after I wash? Meh - that's about as effective as not using it at all, in my mind, really. Hrpmh.
I still need DH to take length pics for me. Maybe I will TST, just so I can get those out of the way for another 3 months.
I have the feeling I originally came here to talk about more than my current ennui with my hair, but apparently not. *laugh*
Yipes!
It's been a while since I've posted, and Nikki just nudged me to let ya'll know how my hair is doing after the difficult detangle.
It's - aiight. I don't feel like my ends are detangling as smoothly as they used to anymore, and I'm starting to wonder if I need a trim. I haven't had one since I cut off the last of my colored hair in Feb 07, and if I do trim, it would be in late Feb 09, so that would make two years - and that's a pretty long stretch.
I henna'd, last weekend, just to see if that would help - and until I DC (Yule party tonight, otherwise I'd be under the steamer already), I won't know for sure how my ends are going to behave. I have a 'single comb' updo in now (I need to figure out a name for that), and when I was playing in my hair last night, my ends did seem to have regained their senses.
I'm starting to see breakage though - *sigh* - and I know exactly where that is coming from, and I know I need to do better but - *laughing*.
Okay. I normally DC on Wednesdays, overnight. *look* The last couple of weeks - DH & I have reaallllly been feeling each other, and after the third week that I had to switch up pillows because the scarf and showercap came off and got conditioner everywhere........ weeeelllll, I've been skipping my midweek DC's. *laughing*
I'm really going to try to do better. *grin*
Otherwise - things are going well, overall. I can see that it's getting a little longer (I want DH to take some growth pics for me tonight), and I've settled back into my MT habits.
Ah! Wow, I haven't posted for a while.
Did I talk about caffeine as a growth aid? I can't remember - I think I started, and got distracted. Anyhow, there are a couple of studies out indicating that caffeine, applied topically, not only increases the growth rate of hair, it also extends the anagen phase by up to 37% - which means it increases your terminal length, overall. Very Nice.
Anyhow, I made a coffee oil with three Senseo pods, and 2 tbl each of jojoba and coconut oil, as well as mango, cocoa, shea, and red palm butter. It's a really pretty yellow color with a few coffee grounds in it here and there, and it smells amazingly delicious.
I apply that first, and then apply the MT on top of that. I've been doing that for - about a week, I think? Maybe two. Yeah, I think two.
Anyhow, I've been doing that pretty consistently - I think I've only missed one night in the last two weeks, and it doesn't add much time to the routine. I got lightheaded the first time I used it - and since then it's been smooth sailing.
Hrm.
I think that's it, for now.
Oooh. I've fallen in love with hibiscus. I've been using it regularly in my steam treatment DC's - oh, yummy. It leaves my hair smooth and heavy/thick - my hair is seriously digging them steam.
Okay.
More later, as always.
Understanding....
So.
Monday, I gained a bit more understanding of what the people who say that their hair is unmanageable go through, and I got proof positive that it's not my hair that is so different that makes it 'manageable' it's how I maintain and manage my hair that makes it manageable. I don't even think it's the products - it truly is the process, and when I deviate from that process, I pay.
First, let's start with this weekend. I clarified my hair, which always allows it to shrink up to it's fullest - my hair is most naked when it's clarified. I've yet to figure out what is on my hair that keeps it not as shrinky, but a good clarifying makes it super shrinky. Anyhow, I half and half'ed afterwards, under steam, then detangled (a little harder than usual, but normal for post-clarifiying), and braided to air-dry.
Sunday, I was cooking and doing other things, and I lost track of time - so by the time I sat down to do my hair, I really had only enough time to do the back, as I was not about to stay up for the extra 1.5 to do the front. I did the back in my usual twists, and then put the front into two loose flat twists, tucked under themselves. (Error 1 - a loose twist Error 2 - not securing it). The next morning, I took my usual shower (Error 3 - no shower cap), and then realized that the ends had shrunken over night so that they were no longer tucked into themselves. I 'fixed' that by braiding the ends together, and then went to work. Ugh, I hated that style - just - so unsatisfactory, but it was as it was.
I got home that night, worked out (in the state my front was, that was Error 4), and then went to sit down and twist the front of my hair.
Oh. My. Gods. It took me 3.5 hours - and at least 2.5 of those hours was JUST detangling, bit by bit, the tangles that my hair had worked itself into. I didn't just have my 'usual' tangles that kept themselves at the ends of my hair - no, no, I had tangles all up and down my hair shaft, almost to the root in some area. It was literally HORRFYING. I've gotten VERY spoiled by my hair, I'll admit, and going through that - it was SO tiring. And of course, I was being as gentle as I could, which made the process even slower - but still, by the time I was done, my scalp was throbbing from all the tugging and pulling I had to do in order to fully detangle my hair (again!!) in order to two strand twist it.
I was truly shellshocked - and that was from just allowing my mostly stretched hair the tiniest bit of freedom to tangle into itself. I might be seriously tempted to shave my head if I attempted to do a wash and go - or give myself a perm - because that's just how tangled and knotty it would be, and heaven knows, I'm not a patient person. *lol*
I really think that if I hadn't made Error 2 - not securing the twists in the first place - I wouldn't have had the issue, at all. If I had either left my hair in the air dried braids Sunday night, and loose twisted (and secured!) them Monday morning, I would have been fine. If I had secured the twists by braiding the ends to each other on Sunday night, I would have been fine. But giving my hair the leeway to shrink up, uncontrolled? Hah!
Never. Never. NEVER. will I make that error again. Even DH was cringing in sympathy for me.
I can say though, that my hair is much stronger and much healthier - I did have some breakage to deal with (and I think that was mostly my fault in not soaking my hair in more of my leave-in before starting to detangle) but mostly - my hair was STRONG! It was tangled, and it LIKED it that way, dammit! *lol*
Anyhow. That was my eye-opening experience.
At the same time, though, it even further solidified my thoughts that our hair is not innately unmanageable, amusingly enough. For a while, I was doubting myself, and thinking - hey. My hair used to be unmanageable. Maybe it's not really what I'm doing, but I've got 'manageable' hair when it's healthy.
Nawh, sista Nawh.
My hair is 'technically' just as tangly, knotty, stubborn and 'difficult' as it always has been - unhealthy or not - but now I know how to manage it, thus I make it manageable.
But, I can also acknowledge now, that it is a process. Just the process of fully detangling my hair - so that I can pull a rattail comb through a section smoothly, from root to tip - is an involved process. And I can see it literally being an all day process if I ever allowed it to retangle fully. It's a process to keep my hair 'stabilized' so that it doesn't have the ability to shrink up and tangle. It's the process that works, not some 'certain' type of hair, or some 'magic' product. And the more faithful I am to the process, the easier my hair becomes.
Another thing Monday confirmed for me was that as I gain more length my hair will be undoubtedly easier to handle. I'm thinking that I'll have a hard time until my hair is fully BSL - another 3 years, I'm thinking. After that, it'll be smooth sailing.
The reason for that is that is quite simple. If I maintain my hair, the only parts that get really tangled are the ends - last 3 inches, or so. If I can see the ends, it takes me about 1/4 of the time to detangle them than it does if I can't see them.
So.
Despite the pain and whinging I did on Monday over my hair, I'm kinda glad it occured. No longer do I have to wonder what would happen if I opted to go for a wash and go - I've seen a sliver of the future, and I'm just plain not interested. I've learned something new - a new piece of the process that I was doing without realizing it that is vital (securing the ends, somehow). I've reassured myself that as long as I maintain a process, I won't encounter more issues with more hair - even as it gets thicker.
Overall, I'm happy. Haven't touched my hair all week, because happy or not, I think we need a lil break from each other, but tomorrow night I plan on lavishing it in conditioner BEFORE I even take my twists down, to insure that any tangles I might have missed (esp. at the roots) get some extra weight on them before I 'release' the hold. I think I'll also do a salt treatment this weekend - after all the drama I put my ends through, I think they need it. *lol*
And, if I can find my tripod, I might do a video this weekend. I did a video tour of our house for my mom, and I really like our video camera - I should use it more often. I'm longwinded though (hah, no surprise there!) so it might be interesting to edit.
Ah! Also, I finally compared my written list of leave-in ingredients to the list I posted - and go me, I got them all right on the first go around.